Two to Three Days Before: The Make-Ahead Heroes
Your journey to a successful Sadya begins a few days before Onam. This is the perfect time to prepare the items that benefit from a little aging. The star of this early prep is Inji Puli, a tangy and spicy ginger-tamarind pickle that only gets better
with time. You can also make other pickles like mango and lime achar. This is also the ideal time to make your grocery run for all the vegetables, coconuts, and other essentials. Getting this out of the way early reduces last-minute panic. If you're making your own banana chips (Upperi) and Sharkara Varatti (jaggery-coated chips), now is the time to fry them up and store them in an airtight container.
The Day Before: Prep, Chop, and Cook
The day before Onam is when the bulk of your preparation happens. The single most time-consuming task is chopping vegetables, so get it all done today. Cut vegetables for Avial, Thoran, Sambar, Kootu Curry, and any other dishes on your menu, storing them in separate containers in the fridge. You can also grate coconut and keep it ready. Some dishes can be partially or fully cooked today. Sambar, for instance, often tastes even better the next day as the flavours meld. You can boil the lentils for Parippu curry and pre-cook some of the tougher vegetables for Avial. Some cooks also prepare dishes like Kalan, Erissery, and even the payasam base a day in advance.
Onam Morning: The Main Cooking Push
On the main day, start with the dishes that require slow cooking or have longer preparation times. Begin by grinding the coconut paste that forms the base for many dishes like Thoran and Avial; making this in one large batch saves time. Put the rice on to cook—Kerala Matta rice takes a while, so it’s good to get it started early. Assemble your Sambar if you haven't made it already, and cook your Parippu curry. This is also the time to cook main curries like Avial, Olan, and Kootu Curry, especially if you have your vegetables pre-chopped.
The Final Hour: Quick Dishes and Fresh Flavours
The final stretch is for dishes that are best served fresh. This includes the vegetable stir-fries, or Thorans, which come together very quickly. This is also when you should prepare any Kichadi or Pachadi, as these yogurt-based dishes need to be fresh and can spoil if made too far in advance. The last-minute tasks are all about freshness and texture. Fry your pappadams just before you intend to serve the meal so they are crisp and warm. Finally, prepare the tempering (tadka) for all your dishes. A smart hack is to make one large batch of tempering with coconut oil, mustard seeds, red chillies, and curry leaves, and then distribute it across the different curries and side dishes.
